Residential building roofs are typically insulated by laying glass fiber insulation batts onto drywall panels after the drywall panels have been fastened to the roof rafters. Because glass fiber insulation batts are pliable and compressible, it can be difficult to install a uniformly thick layer of glass fiber insulation that completely covers the drywall panels forming the ceiling. Further, it is difficult to provide a uniformly thick space or gap between the insulation and the roof for proper ventilation. These problems are especially difficult to overcome when wires, electrical boxes or other obstructions are located in the space between the ceiling and the roof. In the area of such obstructions, the glass fiber insulation batts tend to bunch up. This has two undesirable effects. First, any areas of the ceiling which are not covered with insulation will allow high rates of heat transfer and very substantially negate the potential benefits of the insulation. Second, bunching up of the insulation can effectively block off ventilation in a portion of the space between the ceiling and the roof, which in turn can result in ice back up under the shingles at the eaves.
When building construction is undertaken during the winter in cold climates, it is common practice to attempt to install the ceiling drywall and insulation as soon as possible to allow efficient heating of the building to facilitate interior construction operations such as electrical work, plumbing, drywall installation on interior walls, painting, etc. A problem with this practice is that any plumbing, electrical, mechanical, ductwork, etc. that is to be installed between the ceiling drywall panels and the roof must be roughed in before the ceiling drywall panels can be installed. If this preliminary work, which is necessary before installation of the ceiling drywall panels, is not completed before the onset of cold weather then it may become necessary to delay this work until the weather warms up to avoid the difficulties and expenses associated with heating an uninsulated building and/or completing such work in an unheated building.
It is an object of this invention to provide improved processes and apparatus for insulating a building roof. In particular, an object of this invention is to facilitate easier installation of thermal insulation between a building roof and ceiling while ensuring a uniform thickness of insulation and a uniformly thick ventilation gap between the insulation and roof without undesirable gaps in the insulation which reduce efficiency, and without any blockages in the ventilation space between the insulation and the roof which could lead to ice backup under the roof shingles.
Another object of this invention is to provide processes and apparatus that allow installation of thermal roof insulation immediately after the roof rafters have been erected. This allows sufficient heating of the building before installation of the ceiling drywall panels and before any plumbing, electrical, mechanical, ductwork or other building materials are roughed in between the drywall and the roof. As a result, the processes and apparatus of this invention allow greater flexibility in scheduling construction and avoiding construction delays during inclemently cold weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,469 discloses a building construction panel employed in making walls, floors or ceiling units. The panels comprise a cap piece and a sill. Fillers are placed in position and held without separate fasteners. The fillers are fireproof panels, not thermal insulation panels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,239 discloses an insulation system for insulating a metal roof. The insulation system includes a plurality of elongated bodies of insulating material, such as insulating boards. The insulating boards are suspended from purlins by flexible sheets.
Neither of the above referenced U.S. patents describes insulation processes and apparatus that facilitate easy installation of thermal insulation between a building roof and a ceiling while ensuring a uniform thickness of insulation and a uniformly thick ventilation gap between the insulation and the roof without undesirable gaps in the insulation and without blockages in the ventilation space. Further, neither of these patents facilitates installation of thermal roof insulation immediately after the roof rafters have been erected and before the ceiling drywall panels have been installed and before any plumbing, electrical, mechanical, ductwork and other building materials have been roughed in between the drywall and roof.